Kunte stuns defending champ

UBEDA, JAN 27: Indians scored thumping victories and kept their own chances of Grandmaster norms alive at the end of the 7th round of City o...

UBEDA, JAN 27: Indians scored thumping victories and kept their own chances of Grandmaster norms alive at the end of the 7th round of City of Ubeda International Chess Tournament played here.

Yesterday, national champion IM Abhijit Kunte pulled off a sensational victory over defending champion Valerij Filippov in the sixth round.

RESULTS: (7th round)

GM G Timoshenko (6, Geo) bt IM Y Pelletier (5.5, Switz); GM B Lalic (5.5, Cro) drew with WGM Zhu Chen (5.5, Chi); GM R Vera (5.5, Cro) drew with GM D Barua (5.5); GM T Luther (4.5, Ger) drew with IM A Kunte (5); IM L Ravi (5) bt GM F Izeta (4, Spa); IM DV Prasad (4.5) bt IM R Skomorokhin (3.5, Rus); IM P Konguvel (4) bt Luis Fernandez (3, Spa); IM A Murugan (3.5) drew with Dany Shevelev (3.5, Spa); IM A Nadanian (3.5, Arm) drew with RM Dongree (3.5); WFM Saheli Dhar-Barua (2.5) lost to WGM Nino Khiurshitze (3.5, Geo); IM Kai Bierring (3.5, Den) bt FM SG Joshi (2.5); IWM S Vijayalaxmi (3) bt IWM Martine Dubois (2, Fra), Swati Ghate (3) bt FranciseBalmiza (2, Spa); IWM Anupama Gokhale (3) bt Juan Milan (2, Spa); Raefe Jimenex (2, Spa) lost to IWM M Kunte (3).

6th round: GM Dibyendu Barua (5) drew GM Bogdan Lalic (5), IM Y Pelletier (5.5) bt GM W Arencibia (4.5); IM A Kunte (4.5) bt GM V Filippov (3.5); GM G Garcia (3) lost to IM Lanka Ravi (4); IM Vigen Mirumian (3.5) drew IM DV Prasad (3.5); WIM S Voksanovic (3) drew IM P Konguvel (3); IM Sekhar Sahu (2.5) lost to IM Al-Modiahki (3.5); IM K Murugan (3) drew C Martinez Ju (3); Ravindra Dongre (3) bt Lobach Pavel (2); WGM D Elina (3) beat IWM A Gokhale (2); WIM M Kunte (2) lost to Ripari Marcelo (3); FB Marta (2.5) drew with Saheli Barua (2.5); Rubio Pedro (2) drew with Swati Ghate (2); SG Joshi (2.5) bt SO Manuel (1.5).